One or more of these talented but troubled souls could land in the Bay Area. Do we want any of them? Can we handle any of them?

Incidentally, wouldn't it be funny if the Yankees, fed up with A-Rod and his Truth Lite, dumped him on the Giants, who then won a World Series? Considering that the Bay Area is ground zero for the steroids explosion in sports, we would have proof that karma is a bogus concept.

But back to the topic. Before you say, Forget it, we don't need this kind of riff-raff, take a brief look back in time. Just about every Bay Area championship team in recent memory has had at least one key player who could be classified as trouble.

Remember Charles Haley? The 49ers won two Super Bowls with Haley before they decided his jerkiness outweighed his talent. It did get a little old, Haley peeing on guys' cars. The Cowboys won three Super Bowls with Haley, teaching us this lesson: Cars can be replaced.

Other questionable cats who have helped create winners:

Rick Barry - No crimes on this guy's record, but the scouting report was that his abrasive personality would undermine team chemistry. So wrong, at least in 1974-75.

Baron Davis - He was considered a coach-killer and a diva with injury and weight issues, but what he did for the Warriors two seasons ago was memorable.

Stephen Jackson - He hasn't had as much impact as Davis, but what Warriors fan would undo the trade that brought him to town? Stack Jack had "bad guy" tattooed on his forehead, but he has become a team leader and a role model.

Terrell Owens - What an ego-tripping twit, but remember what it's like to have an All-Pro wideout help take your team to the playoffs?

Barry Bonds - He was trouble-in-a-can when the Giants got him, and blossomed into a megaton migraine. But there was one glorious World Series, and several seasons in which he kept the Giants in the hunt.

Rickey Henderson - How many salary holdouts? How many times did Rickey hold himself hostage, saying he couldn't play well unless he got a raise? But, oh, the impact.

Jose Canseco - "Jose grows with each year and each arrest," Sandy Alderson once said. Canseco 'roided up half of baseball, but he bashed and the A's won.

Milton Bradley - Had he been healthy, Bradley would have been a true test of Billy Bean's capacity to deal with powder-keg stars. Bradley's injuries made it academic, but he was a force for one season.

Deion Sanders - They said Neon Deion would ruin a team with his me-first-ness. Didn't happen. He was popular with his teammates (though he and Jerry Rice eventually clashed), and wildly effective on the field, right through the Super Bowl. Sanders was a one-season rental who, like Haley, took his championship mojo to the Cowboys. Ouch.

Kevin Mitchell - Lovable guy, I'm told, who couldn't put the gangsta life behind him. He won the NL MVP award in 1989 and led the Giants to the World Series, and soon after disappeared from relevance.

Raiders - There are too many Raiders crazies to list, because Al Davis loves 'em. Most of the head cases in the old days helped the team, like John Matuszak. Many of the whackos in recent years have been spectacularly hurtful, like Randy Moss. Bill Romanowski worked both ways - he helped the team get to a Super Bowl, then was part of the unravelling.

Having perused this list, what do you think? Are you ready for more?

Money factors aside (it's not my money), I would go for Vick, Rodriguez and Ramirez. Forget the other guys. Too old, too crazy, or both.

Vick seems eager to live down his crime, and Mike Singletary is the Father Flanagan type (see: Vernon Davis), just what Vick needs now.

The Yankees aren't talking (yet) of moving A-Rod, but his story gets more troubling every day, and the proud and pompous pinstripers can take only so much. Put him at third base or shortstop here, and the Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant.

Ramirez, same instant impact, although older than A-Rod and always a threat to go emotionally AWOL. But his teammates seem to love him.

What the hell, bring in A-Rod and Manny.

All the driftwood guys are nutty as trail mix, but remember: Can't live with 'em, can't win without 'em.

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